Horseshoe



ay 9, 1939- w. P. KEARNEY HORSESHOE Filed July 51, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet lY ATTORNEY INVENTOR May 9, 1939.

w. P. KEARNEY HORSESHOE Filed JulyBl, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR mumR lfEA/P/VE) ATTORNEY Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF'lThis invention relates to horseshoes and more particularly to certainnovel features of a resilient horseshoe which constitute improvementsover the horseshoe described in my co-pending application, Serial No.489, filed January 5, 1935 patented Oct. 5, 1937, No. 2,094,743. Suchresilient shoes have the advantage over iron or steel shoes of beinglighter in weight, lower in cost and wearing much longer when used onpavements.

It is an object of my invention to provide a horseshoe of resilientmaterial having these advantages and also capable of affording goodtraction, preventing slippage and skidding on wet or icy surfaces.

It is a further object of my invention to reinforce resilient horseshoesin such a manner that their strength is increased without materiallyincreasing the weight thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide a reinforced horseshoeand an insert therefor enabling the horseshoe to be easily fitted todifferent shaped hooves.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be explainedhereinafter and will be apparent from a description of a preferredembodiment thereof illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure l is abottom plan view of a horseshoe broken away on one side to illustrate ametal insert embedded therein.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of such a horseshoe.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of this horseshoe and broken away to showone detail thereof in section.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are vertical sections of the shoe taken on the linesl4, 5-5 and 6-6, respectively, of Figure 3.

In the drawings, numeral ll] indicates generally a horseshoe which issymmetrical and made of suitable resilient material, such as vulcanizedrubber II molded about a metal insert I2. The resilient materialpreferably completely encases the insert l2, to facilitate itsmanufacture, except for a portion of the toe plate l3, which may projecttherethrough. The upper surface of the metal insert i2 is recessed alongits inner edge as indicated at M and, in making the shoe, the resilientmaterial conforms to this recess. A depression is thus formed along theinner side of the upper surface of the horseshoe and the central andmore sensitive part of the horses hoof is thus prevented from pressingagainst the shoe and causing soreness.

Suitable nail holes 15 may be provided in the metal insert l2 and therubber is preferably molded therearound. The rubber may be formed withtapered openings l6 immediately below the nail holes IS in the metalinsert, to ensure plac- 5 ing of the nails in the correct position whenshoeing a horse. If desired, a thin layer of rubber lfia may be leftover the openings 5 to hold the nails more firmly. The metal insert isdesigned to lend rigidity and strength to the shoe but is 1 preferablymade thin in order to reduce the weight of the finished article. Ribs Hare provided on each side of the under surface of the inset l2 tostrengthen the insert along the zone weakened by the openings 15. Thesetwo ribs H are 15 preferably distinct from each other and extend topoints near the toe plate l3 without entirely meeting. A small zone i8is thus left between the forward ends of these two ribs ll to provideeasy bending of the shoe as may be necessary for 20 shaping to thehooves of different horses. The insert is thus strengthened withoutincreasing its thickness and weight and at the same time is made easierto shape.

The resilient material of the shoe is formed 25 with a toe calk l9 andheel calks 28 of substantially the width of the entire shoe dependingbelow the insert and designed along with the ridges 2| to support theweight of a horse wearing the shoe. rial 2| of lesser width connect theheel and toe calks, leaving the cut-out sections 22. These cut-outsections 22 are arranged coincident with the nail holes I5 in the metalinsert I2 and provide asection of decreased thickness to facilitate 35insertion of the nails or other fastening means. The depending or treadportions of the shoe, made up of the heel calks 20 and the integralsections 2|, are preferably formed with a plurality of transversegrooves 23 extending the full width of 40 the tread. The grooves 23 thusleave a plurality of depending lugs 25 spaced a slight distance fromeach other and formed with relatively sharp edges 26. This constructionprovides for greatly increased traction over the use of such devices 45as vacuum cups and other patterns formed in the treads of shoes. Thegrooves may be relatively deep in order to have their full effectthroughout the practical life of the horseshoe.

By reason of the extension of the grooves com- 50 pletely through theshoe, any air which may be compressed between two of the lugs 25 isafforded a chance to escape and the lugs 25 are provided with a certaindegree of flexibility. The grooves may be tapered inwardly in theirmanufacture to 55 Depending ridges of resilient mate- 30 facilitatemolding of the resilient material used and are preferably slantedupwardly andrearwardly as indicated in Figure 2. As a horse wearing theshoe moves forward or goes down hill, the traction surface of the shoeis pulled back and the body of the shoe is pressed forward tending tostraighten up the lugs 25 to the perpendicular. These lugs 25 tendpermanently to straighten up to some extent as the shoe wears and byreason of their initial slant are never far from perpendicular, thusretaining their full effectiveness. If desired, additional grooves 24may be employed extending transversely of the toe calk |9 to preventside slip.

A horseshoe, such as described, has many advantages over iron horseshoeswhich are commonly employed. The weight of the entire shoe is reduced toabout one-half and the shoe when used on pavements wears about twice aslong. The reduced weight of the shoes and their resiliency have beenestimated to increase the useful life of a horse from two to threeyears. The cost of making the shoes is also much less than the cost ofdrop forged steel shoes. As compared with previous attempts to makeresilient horseshoes, my invention provides an eminently satisfactoryshoe especially for use on slippery surfaces such as ice and wetpavements. It is a cushion for the horse's hoof and yet assures a muchfirmer grip than is obtainable with horseshoes heretofore employed.Furthermore, with deep grooves, the traction of the shoe is notsubstantially decreased by wear.

The terms used in describing the invention are used as terms ofdescription and not as terms of limitation and it is intended that allequivalents of these terms be included within the scope of the inventionclaimed.

I claim:

1. A horseshoe comprising a body portion and calk portions of resilientmaterial depending therefrom for supporting the weight of a horse andhaving a plurality of relatively deep narrow grooves extendingtransversely thereof, said grooves being inclined upwardly andrearwardly from the lower surface of said shoe.

2. A horseshoe comprising a metal insert embedded in resilient material,the upper surface of said shoe being recessed along the inner portionthereof, calk portions of resilient material depending below saidinsert, openings in said insert, and means for reinforcing said insertin the zone of said openings.

3. A horseshoe comprising a metal insert embedded in resilient material,integral toe and heel calk portions depending below said insert andformed on their lower surfaces with a plurality of transverse grooves,openings in said insert and resilient material, and a reinforcing ribintegral with said insert in the zone of said openings.

4. A horseshoe comprising a metal insert embedded in resilient material,integral toe and heel calk portions depending below said insert andformed on their lower surfaces with a plurality of transverse grooves,openings in the side portions of said insert, and ribs extendinglongitudinally of the side of said insert.

5. A horseshoe comprising a metal insert embedded in resilient material,integral toe and heel calk portions depending below said insert andformed on their lower surfaces with a plurality of transverse grooves,openings in the side portions of said insert, and a pair of longitudinalreinforcing ribs coextensive with said openings on the lower side ofsaid insert, the ends of said ribs being spaced from each other tofacilitate bending of the shoe in the zone therebetween.

6. An insert for use in resilient horseshoes comprising a metal memberof general horseshoe configuration having the inner portion of its uppersurface recessed, attachment openings in the sides thereof, andreinforcement means adjacent said openings.

'7. An insert for use in resilient horseshoes comprising a metal memberof general horseshoe configuration having attachment openings in thesides thereof, and ribs for stiffening said member in the zone of saidopenings.

8. An insert for use in resilient horseshoes comprising a metal memberof general horseshoe configuration, having the inner portion of itsupper surface recessed, attachment openings in the sides thereof, andribs on the under surface of said member coextensive with said openings,the forward ends thereof being spaced from each other.

9. A horseshoe comprising a body portion with toe and heel calk portionsof resilient material depending therefrom, said heel calk portionshaving a plurality of deep narrow grooves extending from one side of thecalk portions to the other side thereof and shaped to form sharp loweredges on the resilient material adjacent said grooves, and said grovesbeing sufficiently close to each other to provide ridges of resilientmaterial bendable under the Weight of a horse.

10. A horseshoe comprising a body portion with toe and heel calkportions of resilient material depending therefrom to support the weightof a horse, said heel calk portions having a plurality of narrow groovesextending in depth substantially to said body portion and arranged toextend from one side of said calk portions to the other side thereof.

WILLIAM P. KEARNEY.

